IN THE STUDIO

“Enthusiasm is more important than innate ability, it turns out, because the single more important element in developing an expertise is your willingness to practice.” ― Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun​Yippee! Today is the last day of 28 Day Cycle: Investigating the Daily Practice of Making Art and what a journey it has been. I am so proud of all of the artists that participated. To culminate the project we will be showing a selection of works in an exhibition this April at Studio 110 Projects!! If you are in the area, come by during the opening on April 1st to meet the artists involved and hear some stories from the studio. Thank you to everyone who followed along throughout the month and cheered us on, let’s go party!​To find out more about the project, read my previous blog post and check out some of the fun the participating artists are having in the studio by searching the following instagram hashtags: #studio110projects #artfordayssf #28daycycleofart

​Yes! Nobody ever loved a painting that was not yet made, or published a book that was not yet written. The art that was never finished didn’t go on to be in the Whitney. This quote is something that I keep coming back to whenever I hesitate in my painting. I find it best to complete a painting in a fervor, with every sense of urgency that I can muster. I’d rather look back on my tangible accomplishments, then fleeting ideas and half-hearted efforts. Our current project, 28 Day Cycle: Investigating the Daily Practice of Making Art, has a daily time limit for each new piece of art. This time limit creates a sense of urgency in the art making, and encourages the participating artists to work with tremendous energy. It’s inspiring and engaging!

It’s so amazing to me to see all of the daily art work coming up on instagram through our project 28 Day Cycle: Investigating the Daily Practice of Making Art. Read my previous blog post to find out more about the project and check out some of the fun the participating artists are having in the studio by searching the following instagram hashtags: #studio110projects #artfordayssf #28daycycleofart

“Perfectionism is a particularly evil lure for women, who, I believe, hold themselves to an even higher standard of performance than do men. There are many reasons why women’s voices and visions are not more widely represented today in creative fields. Some of that exclusion is due to regular old misogyny, but it’s also true that—all too often—women are the ones holding themselves back from participating in the first place. Holding back their ideas, holding back their contributions, holding back their leadership and their talents. Too many women still seem to believe that they are not allowed to put themselves forward at all, until both they and their work are perfect and beyond criticism.

Meanwhile, putting forth work that is far from perfect rarely stops men from participating in the global cultural conversation. Just sayin’. And I don’t say this as a criticism of men, by the way. I like that feature in men—their absurd overconfidence, the way they will casually decide, “Well, I’m 41 percent qualified for this task, so give me the job!” Yes, sometimes the results are ridiculous and disastrous, but sometimes, strangely enough, it works—a man who seems not ready for the task, not good enough for the task, somehow grows immediately into his potential through the wild leap of faith itself. I only wish more women would risk these same kinds of wild leaps. But I’ve watched too many women do the opposite. I’ve watched far too many brilliant and gifted female creators say, “I am 99.8 percent qualified for this task, but until I master that last smidgen of ability, I will hold myself back, just to be on the safe side.” Now, I cannot imagine where women ever got the idea that they must be perfect in order to be loved or successful. (Ha ha ha! Just kidding! I can totally imagine: We got it from every single message society has ever sent us! Thanks, all of human history!) But we women must break this habit in ourselves—and we are the only ones who can break it. We must understand that the drive for perfectionism is a corrosive waste of time, because nothing is ever beyond criticism.

​No matter how many hours you spend attempting to render something flawless, somebody will always be able to find fault with it. (There are people out there who still consider Beethoven’s symphonies a little bit too, you know, loud.) At some point, you really just have to finish your work and release it as is—if only so that you can go on to make other things with a glad and determined heart. Which is the entire point. Or should be.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Day in and day out this month artists are coming together to make and share new work directly with you. (Lucky you!) It’s fascinating to me how in just a few years, technology has made it possible for a project like 28 Day Cycle: Investigating the Daily Practice of Making Art to happen. Read my previous blog post to find out more about the project and check out some of the fun the participating artists are having in the studio by searching the following instagram hashtags: #studio110projects #artfordayssf #28daycycleofart ​​

“Be the weirdo who dares to enjoy.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear​I can’t help by giggle when reading this quote. Showing enthusiasm for what you’re doing is exciting to be around, and can be contagious! Don’t be afraid to be a this kind of weirdo!

"The idea is not to live forever, it is to create something that will." -Andy Warhol​We are fully into this month’s exciting project, 28 Day Cycle: Investigating the Daily Practice of Making Art! It’s thrilling to be working along side of such fabulous artists as we make art everyday and share it together on instagram. Check out some of the fun we’re having in the studio by searching the following instagram hashtags: #studio110projects #artfordayssf #28daycycleofart

“What matters is that you keep going. That you outsmart your brain. That you take control. And that you know that this is your human right.” -Tiffany Han

Tiffany Han is talking about being creatively agile here, and jumping over the hurdles of resistance to complete a difficult creative task. She has an amazing podcast called Raise Your Hand Say Yes that I frequently listen to in the studio. There she interviews creatives about their practice and business, a topic that you may be interested in too!

"You should keep on painting no matter how difficult it is, because this is all part of experience, and the more experience you have, the better it is.. unless it kills you, and then you know you have gone too far." -Alice NeelOver the past few years I’ve had the realization that nobody else can hold you accountable for being in your studio and making work. In fact there will be a lot of social obligations, house chores and family needs that will pull you out of your work in the studio. Others will not understand the amount of time and dedication that it really takes to pursue your craft, and may quickly dismiss it’s validity. This happens particularly when you, the artist, haven’t received any accolades recently. It’s at these moments when Alice Neel’s words, “you should keep painting no matter how difficult it is,” ring true. Building the habit of a daily practice while things are working out will prepare you for when they don’t, and when resistance to making art is strong.